Children's Home run by Quality Protects Children Ltd in Knowsley

Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 1 SC356929 Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns the home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have behavioural and/or emotional difficulties. The registered manager resigned in July 2019. An acting manager has been appointed and her application to register with Ofsted is currently being processed.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/01/2019 Full Good 11/10/2017 Full Good 21/08/2017 Full Inadequate 15/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 29/02/2020

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5) This is specifically in relation to ensuring that young people’s progress and outcomes are clearly recorded within the young people’s records.  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) This is specifically in relation to ensuring that staff have clear guidance on the action to take if an incident was to occur.  Ensure that records kept in the children’s home are signed and dated by the author. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce

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Recommendations

related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  Ensure that the registered person has a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13) Specifically, to ensure that notifications are issued in a timely manner and include all of the relevant information. Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s transitions into the home are positive and enable young people to settle quickly. Staff visit young people in their previous placements and give the young people opportunities to spend time in the home before moving in. Further to this, the manager ensured that she had all the necessary documentation to make an informed decision as to whether the staff could meet the young person’s needs. Similarly, extensive plans are made when young people move from the home into foster care or semi-independence. This includes several visits to the new placement, inviting staff or foster carers to the home and continuing to support the young people after they have left. As a result, the young people remain in touch with the home. Young people make good progress in most areas of their lives. In particular, the young people have made significant progress in their education, relationships and behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

However, their progress is not fully recorded in their plans. Therefore, it is unclear what support young people have received from the staff team to help them overcome barriers and past traumas. For example, the young people are in good health and they have reduced their risks in drinking alcohol, smoking cannabis and with their sexual health. However, there is little information on how this was achieved, what work was completed with the young people or what additional services were used. This is a recording issue, as the young people, a parent and professionals all discussed the good progress that the young people are making. For example, one young person’s plan was to return home within two years. Due to the excellent progress that she has made, this has been brought forward a year. Additionally, staff have a good understanding of the young people’s health and development needs. The young people are encouraged and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

supported to engage in social and recreational activities that promote a healthier lifestyle. Young people benefit from good routines that support their attendance and engagement in education. The young people are doing well, and staff help them with their homework. A young person said, ‘I would love to be a professional footballer or work in a sports- related field.’ Due to the good connections that staff have with alternative education providers, they were able to find an alternative sports educational resource that supplements the young person’s education. The young person attends twice a week and enjoys it. The young people live a significant distance away from their parents, families and friends. The manager and staff work hard to promote contact and make it a pleasant experience for everyone. Staff take the young people to their home towns and, on occasions, parents visit the home. A parent said, ‘The staff are fantastic. They make me

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

feel welcome and keep me up to date with my child’s progress.’ These visits are important to young people, and they appreciate the effort that staff make for them. Young people can regularly share their views about the home and their plans for their care. They have regular discussions with their key workers, other staff and the acting manager during young people’s meetings and direct work sessions. Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 5

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Individual risk assessments and behaviour management plans identify known and emerging risks to the young people’s safety. There is clear information about the history of the risk, any triggers to the behaviour and the agreed strategies for staff to try and de-escalate a potential situation. However, there is no information on the agreed actions to take if an incident was to occur. This does not ensure consistency when dealing with a situation. There are clear expectations and boundaries in the home. Positive behaviour of the young people is continually promoted, recognised and rewarded. For example, one young person received additional money for helping around the home. When the young people’s behaviour is not what is expected, a consequence is imposed. However, they can make things right through restorative options, such as apologising or cleaning and repairing damaged items. This gives the young people the opportunity to reflect on their

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

behaviour. Records show that staff take suitable action regarding any safeguarding incidents and that they seek the designated officer’s opinion about how the staff have dealt with a concern. The young people said that they are confident that any concerns are dealt with appropriately and that they are fully informed of the outcome. Further to this, other professionals involved in the young people’s care reported that the staff are exceptional in ensuring the safety of the young people. However, some safeguarding notifications that are sent to Ofsted have not been provided in a timely manner. Furthermore, some safeguarding notifications require more detail to ensure that the regulator has a good overview of the action taken by the home. Staff and managers undertake a range of training in safeguarding matters and in related topics, such as managing the risks of radicalisation, county lines and gang culture. This

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

ensures that staff have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles and duties. Young people have been held for their own or others’ safety. Members of staff are trained in restraint and de-escalation techniques. Clear recordings show that the intervention was necessary and that the young people and staff are debriefed on the incident. The debrief gives both parties the opportunity to reflect on their behaviour. Previous young people had a high level of being missing from the home. Staff worked with the police, safeguarding professionals, the local authority and the young people to reduce these incidents. The current young people have only been reported missing on a few occasions. Staff follow the missing from home protocol and search known places and addresses. Staff endeavour to keep in contact with the young people through their mobile phones and, on occasions, have been successful in persuading young people to

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

return safely. Return interviews are completed by an independent service. This means that any issues can be discussed and shared with all parties. Safe recruitment and health and safety practice at the home mean that only the most suitable staff work at the home and that the home is a safe place in which to live and work. Young people and staff regularly participate in emergency drills to ensure that they know what to do in the event of a fire. All visitors to the home require identification and Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 6 are supervised inside the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager resigned in July 2019. There is an acting manager at the home who has submitted her application to be registered with Ofsted. The post-holder has high aspirations for the service and she has implemented some major changes that have been fruitful and extremely positive for the young people. For example, she has implemented a new acts of kindness book that gives praise and recognition to the young people for being thoughtful to others. One young person made a cake for a new member of staff and another stocked a gift box containing items for a homeless boy. The acting manager is supported by an experienced deputy manager and senior staff team. This ensures that the home runs smoothly and most of the paperwork and records are up to date. However, some documents are not signed by the author or the acting manager, such as placement plans. This does not ensure that everybody is aware of the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

content of the plans. The home’s statement of purpose reflects the aims, objectives and ethos of the home. However, the workforce plan does not identify the processes and agreed timescales for staff supervision and for completing probation periods. Therefore, it is unclear what the expectations are in these areas. Good levels of staffing mean that young people’s needs are met. Staff show a strong commitment to their roles and spoke proudly of the young people’s achievements and progress. One member of staff said, ‘It is lovely working here. It is a calm and warm environment. It is great to see the young people making progress and getting on with their lives.’ Most of the staff hold a relevant childcare qualification. Two members of staff are at different stages of completion. All staff complete mandatory training as part of their probation period. This is refreshed regularly. Staff continue to broaden their knowledge

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

through other training on issues such as the impact of gang culture, county lines and radicalisation. Staff said that they feel supported by the manager. However, one member of staff has not received regular one-to-one supervision. This does not ensure that staff have had the opportunity to reflect on their practice. More positively, the staff said that team meetings occur regularly and that they are an open forum in which to discuss any concerns or to learn from colleagues. For example, the acting manager has tasked the staff team to prepare a presentation on different topics and then present it to the staff team. On the day of inspection, two members of staff gave a presentation on county lines and the staff team enjoyed completing a quiz and word search associated with this. The acting manager and staff work collaboratively with a range of agencies and professionals involved in young people’s care. When services have been slow to respond

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

or not available, the acting manager has challenged these shortfalls, such as delays in effectively identifying the next steps in young people’s transitions to adult services or where the home has not received essential paperwork in relation to young people. This means that young people usually receive the services that they need, and staff have the Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 7 knowledge to support young people well. There is positive external monitoring of the home. The visitor regularly consults with the young people and professionals to gain their views about the quality of care at the home. Constructive actions are highlighted in the visitor’s reports so that the acting manager can improve and develop the home. Likewise, the manager’s internal monitoring is good, and this helps her to develop the service. The manager has addressed the recommendations that were made at the last inspection. For example, an empty room has now been made into an art and music room

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

to reflect the young people’s interests. School holiday days are now more structured, which helps young people to re-engage in education quickly when holidays are over. Additional developments include the regular update of risk assessments, increased detail within room search records, and the completion of staff training regarding managing the risks of child sexual exploitation and radicalisation.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hill House, Archway Road, Huyton, Liverpool L36 9XB

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Inspector

Pam Nuckley, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 9 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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